Open Access Journal Article

Eco-Efficiency Evolution of Water-Intensive Polluters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis Using the DEA-Malmquist Index

by Meiling Chen a,*  and  Zeya Du a
a
School of Economics and Management, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
REA  2024 3(2):29; https://doi.org/10.58567/rea03020001
Received: 23 March 2024 / Accepted: 12 July 2024 / Published Online: 19 November 2024
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Abstract

Occupying a preeminent position as the globe’s most extensive economic corridor, the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) serves as a crucial aquifer for 800 million individuals and harbors almost 50% of the country's paramount water-intensive contaminant producers. The ecological efficiency of these producers within the belt has increasingly come under scholarly scrutiny. Leveraging data from 2004-2012 encompassing 725 such manufacturers and employing the DEA-Malmquist index methodology, this research delineates the eco-efficiency trajectories of these water-centric pollutant producers, shedding light on their spatial-temporal dynamics across the expansive Yangtze Economic Belt. The results are as follows: (1) there’s a discernible enhancement in the eco-efficiency (ML) of these manufacturers situated within the YREB, predominantly propelled by technological change (TC) and shifts in technical efficiency change (TEC); (2) From a spatial perspective, notable disparities emerge in both technological change (TC) and technical efficiency change (TEC) among the belt’s upper, middle, and lower tiers. Intriguingly, the hierarchy for TC and TEC descends as follows: Lower > Upper > Middle; (3) Examining the spatial evolution nuances, 2004 witnessed eco-efficiency distributions ranking from Upper > Middle > Lower. Fast forward to 2012, a marked reconfiguration appears with a distribution pattern of Middle > Lower > Upper.

Keywords: Eco-efficiency; Yangtze River Economic Belt; National Key Pollution Monitoring Enterprises; Malmquist Index; Spatial-Temporal Analysis;
Copyright: © 2024 by Chen and Du. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (23BJL096) , The Jiangxi Social Science Planning General Project (22JL07)

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ACS Style
Chen, M.; Du, Z. Eco-Efficiency Evolution of Water-Intensive Polluters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis Using the DEA-Malmquist Index. Review of Economic Assessment, 2024, 3, 29. https://doi.org/10.58567/rea03020001
AMA Style
Chen M, Du Z. Eco-Efficiency Evolution of Water-Intensive Polluters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis Using the DEA-Malmquist Index. Review of Economic Assessment; 2024, 3(2):29. https://doi.org/10.58567/rea03020001
Chicago/Turabian Style
Chen, Meiling; Du, Zeya 2024. "Eco-Efficiency Evolution of Water-Intensive Polluters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis Using the DEA-Malmquist Index" Review of Economic Assessment 3, no.2:29. https://doi.org/10.58567/rea03020001
APA style
Chen, M., & Du, Z. (2024). Eco-Efficiency Evolution of Water-Intensive Polluters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis Using the DEA-Malmquist Index. Review of Economic Assessment, 3(2), 29. https://doi.org/10.58567/rea03020001

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